Door construction



C. D. vANcE ET AL Oct. 9 1923.

- DOOR CONSTRUCTION `Filed dan. 20. 1922 Z'Sheets-Sheet 1 8 "`7L4RL -l f'TT-t "-"2 8 2 .,0`u u e 0 O 7 4,. 1 w h .S 2 L Ann G Tww E w- EUO cm2. Nw@ wed 'Rd 0mm a F O Oct. 9 1923.

N VEN TOR Patented @et 9, i923,

narran hdddd CARL D. VANCE ND FOREST G. BOBIN, OE' DAYTON, OHIO.

DOOR CONSTRUGTON.

Application tiled .anuary 20, 1922.

To all whom z'zf may concern Be it known that we, CARL D. VANGE and Fonnsr G. BowMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Door Construct-ions and the like, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in door construction, having particular reference to sliding folding doors of the accordion type, the invention being especially adaptable to doors of this character for closing wide, openings where the use of partition posts or columns would interfere with the operation 0f the doors and with the entrances and exits of buildings where the doors are used.

An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide doors of this character suitable for door openings of any width or length, there being no limit, practically, to the adaptability of our improved doors in this respect, the doors being arranged, preferably, in separate units to facilitate operation thereof.

It is a further object of our invention to provide doors and means for their support and operation whereby the doors willbe adapted to be moved entirely outside the piane of the door entrance, as adjacent tl e side or around or beyond the corner of the building in connection with which the doors are used, thus leaving the door opening entirely clear.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved door construction as to' the means for supporting the weight ot' the doors, and for maintaining their aiance or equilibrium, thus to insure ease of operation and normal movement of the doors irrespective of their size and weight, and the nurnber of units used to a single opening.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of two `opposite door sections, illustrating a construction typical of the accordion type of folding doors, and including details of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of a folded unit of the doors;

Serial No. 530,713.

Fig. 4; is a detail view, in side elevation, of the door supporting mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a detail view, in end elevation and in section, of the door supporting mechanism, and

Fig. 6 is a detail view, in end elevation of the door head mechanism.

As here shown in Fig. 3, each of the door units comprises a number, preferably sin, of door sections 1, adjacent sections of each unit being joined one to the other at both edges by off-set hinges 2, thus permitting the door sections to be folded par-` allel one with another, and the unit to be shit-ed `as a whole in either direction.

rihe head construction of the doors, as here shown, consists ofthe opposite guides or tracks J1 supported in the overhead frame structure, in any suitable manner, as on the beams 5 by means of bolts 6; and a guide roller 7 secured to each door section, on the t-op edge, adjacent the inner corner thereof, as the doors are folded, by means of a bracket or housing 8 and a bearing 9 upon which the guide roller rotates.

The door supporting mechanism, as here shown, in detail Figs. 4 and 5, consists of a rt-rail constituting a track 10 upon which the doors can be shifted in either direction; a wheel or roller 11 secured to each door section adjacent the inner corner thereof, as the doors are folded, by means of opposite plates 12 and 13, which serve to strengthen the corners of the door sections, and as a means for supporting a bearing sleeve 14 which is adapted to receive a pivot stein 15 of a bifurcated bearing bracket and wheel housing 16 in which the wheel 11 is supported, the wheel thus being free to travel on the track 10 and to turn, with the bracket 16 in the pivot bearing 14 15.

ris here shown, a ball bearing 17 is interposed between the wheel housing and plate 12, a portion of the edge of the plate beingturned under to overlap the edge of the door as indicated at 18 in Fig. 5, and ball bearings 19 are preferably used on .opposite sides of the door supporting wheel 11, thus to effect easy operation of the doors. The remaining portion of the edge of plate 12 overlaps the lower edge of the door section as at 2O to protect the edge and further strengthen the construction, and the lower portion ot plate elf-3 is dared outwardly as at 2i to infovide clearance tor turning the door sections at right-angles relative to wheels -wil, thus to permit ot 'r'olding the sections ot each unit as illustra ted in Fig. 3.

is here shown, the T-rail l0 projects slightly above the tloor line 22. lt will be understood, however, that this showing is tor illustrative purposes only, and that the too of the rail may be either above or below vrein the foregoing,` detailed description, the construction and operation ot our irnproved doors will be readily understood. lt will be observed that the doors as a whole constitute a well balanced construction, that the construction is adapted to folding doors oit any practical height and length, that the door opening; is entirely tree ot obstructing posts or columns, that the weight ot the doors, whether the doors are open or closed, is supported entirely trom the bottom on the cli dit that the doors can be moved in "'efxtion on the track, and, where it and pro ision is inade tor it by tie proper placing and extension ot track -10 and the overhead guides, that the doors can be inoved entirely out ot the way beyond the door opening, alsoy that the construction ot the doors and door supporting' ineans is such as will give both ease and Yfreedom ot operation, and that the structure as a whole is ot siinple and substantial construction.

Having' described our invention, we claim: l. ln toldinp; doors, including in coinbination with suitable head construction tor the doors, a door unit consisting ot' a plurality of door sections hinged one to, another, and adapted to be tolded substantially parallel one with another, each door section having its lower inner corner, as the doors are toldcut away and re-intorced, by metal plates secured to opposite sides ot the door, one et' the plates having an edge thereof turned under and overlapping` the lower e ,o oit the cut portion ot the door, the other plate beino iared outwardly opposite said cut away portion, wheel disposed in said cut away port-ion and having a bearrcintorced 'by the overlapping' edge of.

the tirst nanied plate, the door section being supported on said wheel and adapted to turn on said bearing` as a pivot, as the door sections are inoved into said parallel relation, a track adapted to support the door sections troni beneath and over which said wheels are adapted to travel as the doors are operated.

2. ln folding;` doors, including,- in combination with `suitable head construction tor the doors, a door unit consisting; ot a plurality ot door sections hinged one toy another, and adapted to be folded substantially Aparallel one with another, each door section having),` its lower inner corner, as the doors are tolded, cut away and reinforced by inetal plates secured one to the other troin opposite sides ot the door, one ot the plates having` `an edge thereof turned under and overlapping the lower edge ot the door and the lower edge ot said cut away portion, the other plate being flared outwardly opposite said cut away portion Iand actingas a guard, a wheel disposed in the cut away portion upon which the door section is supported and adapted to turn as pivot, as the door sections are inoved into said parallel relation, a track adapted to support the door sections trorn beneath and over which said wheels are adapted to travel as the doors are operated.

3. ln folding doors, including in combination with suitable head construction tor the doors, a` door unit consisting ot a plurality ot door sections hinged one to another, and adapted to be Yfolded substantially parallel one with another, each door section having` its lower inner corner, as the doors are tolded, cut away and reinforced, by metal plates secured one tothe other trom opposite sides ot the door section and having their corresponding edges arranged tlush with the side and bottom edges ot the said section, one of the plates having an edge thereot turned under, overlapping the lower edge ot the door, said other plate being 'flared outwardly opposite said cut away portion to provide a guard, a wheel supported in a biturcated housing in said cut away portion and having a sleeve bearing supported in the overlapping portion ot the irst nained plate, said door section being supported on said wheel and adapted to turn on said bearing as a pivot, as the door sections are moved into said parallel relation, a trac-k adapted to support the door sections from beneath and over which said wheels travel as the doors are operated.

ln testimony whereof, we ath): our signatures.

CARL D. VANCE. FOREST G. BUVVMAN. 

